Wrestling hurled out of 2020 Olympics

Sushil Kumar (in blue) fights at the Olympic Games in London. (PTI Photo)

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NEW DELHI: The International Olympic Committee dealt a crippling blow to wrestling on Tuesday, when its executive board decided to remove the sport from the 2020 Olympics.

The international wrestling fraternity was immediately up in arms against the stunning decision, with the world wrestling body (FILA) as well as several leading wrestlers from around the world expressing shock. Many called the decision "undemocratic" because the sport, which was played even in ancient Olympic Games, is followed in as many as 180 countries.

For India, an emerging wrestling nation that hoped to reap a rich medal haul in future Games, the news could not be worse.

"This is a big setback since we were targeting 12-14 medals in the 2020 Games. However, I feel that with wrestling being a major sport in many countries such as Russia, USA, China and Iran, people will try hard to not let this happen," said Satpal Singh, a former Olympian and wrestling star Sushil Kumar's coach.

It is feared that wrestling would lose much of its appeal if it goes out of the Olympics. And while an IOC spokesman tried to soften the blow by saying "it's not the end of the road for the sport", the chances of wrestling surviving this blow are very slim if one goes by the past.

IOC's decision came after its 15-member executive board surprisingly voted against wrestling, which has been part of the modern Olympics (1896 onwards) in every Games except in 1900. The board chose to retain a sport like modern pentathlon, which was expected to get the axe due to its lower global appeal and presence.

It is learnt that field hockey and taekwondo were also in the risk zone, but survived.

"I am shocked and don't know the reasons behind the decision. What I can't understand is that how can just a few people decide the fate of a sport that is followed worldwide? This is not democratic," FILA president Raphael Martinetti told TOI.

IOC is yet to pick the host city for the 2020 Games with Madrid, Istanbul and Tokyo in the race.

The decision left top Indian wrestlers stunned. "I cannot believe that IOC can take such a harsh decision about one of the oldest sport in the Olympics. A lot of youngsters were taking up the sport, but now this blow will take the sport backward," double Olympic medallist Sushil Kumar told TOI.

Fellow Olympic medallist Yogeshwar Dutt was equally despondent. "It's sad news for the sport. India had just started to win wrestling medals at the Olympics. The decision will have a bad impact on budding wrestlers who dream of winning Olympic medals," said the bronze medal winner at the London Games.

The news could not have been more heart-breaking for thousands of young aspirants who were hoping to represent India in the Olympics in 2020.

Fifteen-year-old Anwar, a national cadet medal winner in the 46kg category said going to the Olympics was the dream of every wrestler. "Now we have to settle for the World Championships. The Olympics were always bigger," the boy from Bilaspur, training at Delhi's Chhatrasal stadium for the past one year, told TOI.

The Swiss media on Tuesday claimed that there was close contest between modern pentathlon and wrestling to avoid elimination and that wrestling might have missed out by just "one or two votes".

The board members were given a report on each of the Olympic sports which provided details on 39 criteria such as popularity, finances, tickets sold and governance, before a secret vote.

IOC, however, handed the sport a glimmer of hope when it said that wrestling will vie with eight sports — the others being baseball/softball, karate, roller sports, sport climbing, squash, wakeboarding and wushu — for a place in the 2020 Games, where a total of 28 disciplines are to be included.

"The eight sports are scheduled to make presentations to the executive board at its meeting in St Petersburg, Russia, in May. The executive board will select which of the eight sports to recommend to the 125th IOC Session (to be held in Buenos Aires in September) for inclusion as an additional sport on the 2020 programme," IOC said in a release.

"In an effort to ensure that the Olympic Games remain relevant to sports fans of all generations, the Olympic programme commission systematically reviews every sport following each edition of the Games," IOC added.

Sportspersons from other disciplines also expressed shock at IOC's decision. "I am feeling very bad to know that wrestling is dropped. I feel bad for Sushil and other friends. I know they would be very upset. As an Indian I am unhappy because dropping wrestling means it will affect overall performance of India at the Olympics," said shuttler Saina Nehwal.

A huge draw at the ancient Greek games (776 BC) and part of the modern Olympics since 1896, wrestling could return despite the axe by the International Olympic Committee.

THE HISTORY

The Summer Olympics programme includes 26 sports. Sports like badminton, basketball, and volleyball, first appeared on the programme as demonstration sports, and were later promoted to full Olympic sports. Some sports that were featured in earlier Games were later dropped.

In 2002, the IOC limited the Summer Games programme to a maximum of 28 sports. Three years later, the first major programme revision was performed, excluding baseball and softball from 2012 Games. Since there was no agreement in the promotion of two other sports, the 2012 program featured just 26 sports. The 2016 and 2020 Games will return to the maximum of 28 sports given the addition of rugby and golf.

In 2004, the IOC established an Olympic Programme Commission for reviewing the sports on the Olympic roster and all non-Olympic recognized sports. The commission formulated seven criteria — history and tradition of the sport, universality, popularity of the sport, image, athletes' health, development of the world body that governs the sport, and costs of holding the sport - to judge a sport for inclusion in the Olympics.

MODUS OPERANDI OF THE VOTE

The IOC executive board members are given a report on each of the sports with details on 39 criteria such as popularity, finances, tickets sold and governance, before a secret vote

Four sports — wrestling, modern pentathlon, taekwondo and field hockey — are found to be at the bottom of the pile after the vote. Wrestling loses out to modern pentathlon narrowly.

WHAT'S NEXT

The world wrestling body will make a presentation before the EB in Russia in May before IOC selects one of the eight competing sports for inclusion in the 2020 Games in Sept 2013

The venue for the 2020 event will also impact the IOC decision. Two countries whose capitals would be bidding to host the Games — Turkey and Japan — have an impressive wrestling history and they have won 28 gold medals each in the sport so far.

THE IMPACT

Wrestling's popularity will suffer globally with major financial consequences, but IOC decision is unlikely to impact Asian Games and the Commonwealth Games.